Household organizers which take advantage of existing structures and open, unused spaces are known in the art. For example, Ke Patent No. 4,846,430 discloses a door organizer which can be used to suspend garments, towels and the like. While maximizing the use of existing structures and unused space is convenient for end-users, manufacturers prefer compact organizers for easy shipping and reduced freight rates. Non-collapsible, single-piece units are costly to transport. They are also difficult to handle, store and display in retail space. It is therefore desirable to produce "knocked down" or multi-piece, collapsible versions of organizers.
Shelf or rack organizers specifically for suspending from the top aspects of a door are also known. Most currently known over-the-door organizers are unitary structures having a frame and shelves formed from coated steel wire. These single piece units are difficult to handle because their overall configurations do not conform well to conventional commercial packaging. They also require excessive storage space to accommodate their various shapes and sizes.
Attempts have been made to produce knocked down or collapsible over-the-door organizers. Generally, coated steel wire shelves are supported by vertical, metal tubing frame members which have mounting holes disposed in their sides to accept the coated wire. The ends are then capped with formed metal nuts. These joints are cheap and easy to manufacture, but they are unstable and the resulting assembly has poor structural integrity. This instability may cause physical distortion, especially when the door is swinging about its hinges.
Commercially successful over-the-door shelf organizers are disclosed in Emery Patent No. 5,460,279. Other configurations are illustrated in Design Pat. Nos. 354,412 and 365,239. But, the prior art designs do not provide an improved locking means which permits collapsible transportation, storage and assembly by the end-user.